


A Love Like No Other

by RiftOdyssey



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Because I'm A Coward, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff, Shapeshifter!Sally, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:54:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27770344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiftOdyssey/pseuds/RiftOdyssey
Summary: Wilbur travels to reunite with his brother Tommy on the Dream SMP and meets a strange salmon on the way. Little does he know that the small creature isn't going to give him up that easily.
Relationships: Wilbur Soot/Sally the Salmon
Comments: 4
Kudos: 83





	1. The Song of the Sea

He didn't know why inspiration hit him, just that he had to play.

It was early in the evening as he walked down to the edge of the water and sat down in the grass. The air was warm and the water was cool; he pulled off his boots and socks and let his feet dip into the water, pressing into the sandy stones. The river danced past his shins and soaked up into his trousers as he looked across the river and out into the fields and the sea. He pulled his guitar from his back and made sure each string was in tune. The rocks in the water glimmered as the sun fell across the horizon, turning the night sky into a stunning orange haze.

"What are we thinking?" He hummed to himself. "Something... major. C maybe." 

C, E, G, he plucked out and let the warm sound flow out. He strummed mindlessly, waiting for another creative blast to hit him. His eyes wandered the grassy hills around him, the bright green of the treetops just visible over the top of them. As the wind blew past him, the coat draped around him suddenly felt too heavy, too hot. He pulled it off and let it fall around his hips on the ground. He stretched back and refocused, only to notice something strange—something that hadn't been there before. Drifting around his feet in the water was a salmon. Its back shone as the sun flashed against it with hues of orange and red. It was barely small enough to swim up to him on the bank of the river.

Wilbur watched it carefully, afraid to move in case he scared it off. Then, he leaned forward to get a closer look. The guitar in his lap stopped him from moving very close, but the salmon didn't stir. Curious, he played a chord—the fish reciprocated, wiggling in what Wilbur liked to imagine was joy.

"Hello there," He said, smiling for the first time in what felt like weeks. "What's your name?"

* * *

"Hello there, Sally." Wilbur stepped down the hill and into the water, already playing his guitar as he settled in. The fish had arrived at the shore each day without fail, swimming away at times, but never for long. At first, it was strange, but now the sight of his scaly partner made the end of his days better. He'd been researching salmon, and it appeared that Sally was a female sockeye salmon. What confused him was why she was here: salmon usually swam in groups and he hadn't seen another one in weeks. 

"What do you want to listen to?" He asked. Sally did not reply. He'd always loved the name Sally.

"Wonderwall?" He joked. Despite himself, he started began playing. The fish stirred, swimming circles around Wilbur's legs. He let a giggle spring forth as he grew more comfortable, shrugging off his coat. She always liked it when he played for her.

"Phil wrote back to me today. 'Says things are going well, he and Techno are holding down the fort..." He sighed. "He can't make it out here yet. At this rate, I'll have made it to Tommy's before he arrives. Tommy says the guy who runs the place is a pain but the views are to die for. I wish he'd write more often." Wilbur hazarded a glance down at Sally, who was looking up at him patiently. He smiled down at his long-suffering companion.

"Maybe you are the one that's gonna save me, Sally."

* * *

"Hello," Wilbur reached the shore and knelt down on the sandy grass. Sally swam up to where his feet should be, instead tucked beneath him.

"I'm afraid this is where we have to part ways." He said with more gravity than he'd hoped. Sally said nothing. Obviously. Some part of him knew how stupid this was, but leaving without saying goodbye felt wrong to him. This fish had been his silent friend for weeks, and that was coming to an end all too soon.

"I'm traveling to see my brother on the Dream SMP, I'm not coming back here." Sally inched closer and Wil tried not to frown at the idea of losing a fish.

"Hey, it's okay. We've had some good times, haven't we?" He said, keeping his voice even. "Just because it's over doesn't mean I won't miss you. It'd be hard to forget you, Sally."

Wilbur leaned over the bank and hovered above the water. Carefully, he ran his fingers over the fish's back. It was strange, with Sally being so calm, almost leaning into the touch. It went against everything he knew about animals, especially fish. Still, knowing Sally had a soft spot for him warmed his heart.

"'Gonna miss you," He mumbled, pulling away. The mood suddenly felt quite somber as the sun made its way behind the hills. Maybe the isolation was getting to him, but he settled down on the bank to wait out the light. The evening felt all too short.


	2. Rising Tides

Tommy was right, the views on the SMP were to die for. Hiking through the hills with what little he had, he made sure to slow down and enjoy the scenery no matter the havoc his gear wreaked on his back. He'd heard about how landscape artists in different parts of the world would back their canvases with different colors depending on where they were. Back home, the sky would turn orange with the sunset; the blue-purple-pink tapestry eclipsing the sun overhead filled him with the beauty of this new land. Swaths of redwood trees lined the path, and even the green of the leaves and grass felt strange and new.

Passing over the hill, he felt relief fill him to see familiar salty waves. The sea glowed across the horizon and for a moment it was like he never left. He followed the beach for a few minutes, kicking along in the sand and staring out into the blue water. His guitar was too far tucked away on his back for playing. He let his eyes wander over the horizon for a moment more before returning to the task at hand.

* * *

It was a miracle Wilbur had gotten any sleep. After days of pensive travel, the constant noise of being around his little brother wasn't something he'd been prepared for. Tommy had kept him up all night with questions about him, Phil, and Techno.

"You'd know all of this if you just wrote to us," He reminded.

"I don't have time to write! I'm a busy man!" Tommy had replied. It didn't irk him as much now that they were here together. Wilbur still wrote his letters to Phil but made sure to talk about Tommy as much as possible—he couldn't have been the only one worried. Nagging his little brother was a losing battle anyway, especially with Tubbo to back him up.

"Play me a song!" Tommy demanded as the three walked along the beach.

"Yes! Play us something!" The other boy agreed. Wilbur pulled his guitar from over his shoulder and his pick from his pocket and found a place to sit—a rock at a deep pool inset in the sand, almost like the beach itself was ripped away. His bare feet sank into the water but couldn't find the bottom.

"What do you want to hear?" He asked, getting comfortable. The boys sat below him in the sand.

"Play Able Sisters!" Tommy cried. With a sigh, Wilbur plucked out a few seconds of the tune before giving up.

"Anything I can actually play?" He asked again.

"I don't know, just improvise or something!" Improvise... Looking across the water, Wilbur felt a wave of inspiration fall over him. Tommy tapped along as all three got lost in the rise and fall of the notes. Wilbur's mind stayed with the water, with the many hours he'd spend by it.

"When did you get good at this?" Tommy joked.

"I guess I've had a lot of practice recently." 

The water stirred around him as Wil felt something brush against his leg. Shocked, he brought his feet up and looked down into the pool.

"Everything okay, big man?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Just some seaweed or something."

"I bet it was a crab. There are tons of crabs on this beach," He explained. "I bet if we got a bucket we could catch some for dinner. Tubbo, get me a bucket!"

"Yes sir!" Tubbo hopped onto his feet and scurried off back to the house.

"Come on Wilbur, I know the perfect spot!" 

"Just a second!" Wilbur hesitated at the water's edge, waiting for some kind of movement. Nothing came. Still, as he picked up his guitar and walked away, he couldn't help but feel like he was missing something.

* * *

"So Wilbur..." Tommy asked over dinner. "Have you seen any women lately?"

Despite himself, Wilbur smiled. Tommy's odd sense of humor never failed to amaze him. He shook his head.

"Not one woman? You're so lonely and weird!" 

"I've been traveling!"

"But seriously, have you just been alone for months?" Tubbo asked.

"Well I haven't been *alone* alone," He thought out loud.

"Oh yeah? Then who were you with?"

"I was with Sally—so yeah, I guess I have seen a woman, Tommy."

"Who's she?"

"She's... this girl who I met while I was resting on the way here for a few weeks. She'd sit with me by the water and I'd play guitar for her."

"That's so romantic," Tommy deadpanned. "Are you two dating?" 

Despite himself, Wilbur felt a shade of pink creeping over his face at the bizarre suggestion.

"No, no. We're friends. We _were_ just friends—I had to say goodbye to her the other day." 

"You didn't stay in contact?"

"No," Wilbur sighed. "It just wasn't meant to be I guess."

"Well that's sad," Tommy muttered, shifting food around on his plate. "What are you gonna do now?"

"Enjoy your cooking," Wilbur smiled. "When did you get so good at this?"

"Probably about when you left." 

Tommy's voice had no spite in it, but the words alone humbled Wil enough to go quiet as he finished his meal.

* * *

He headed to bed long before the others, still tired from his journey and the long day of crab hunting. It was strange not to have to wrangle Tommy into his room for the night—so many things had changed in what felt like such a short time. Today felt like being a kid again, running around the garden and getting into trouble. Seeing the wonder in Tommy's face as he played the guitar was something he hadn't realized he missed so dearly. Wilbur picked up the old instrument and felt the wear of the wood. He tucked his hand into his pocket and fished for his pick—he found matches, a spare button, some old scrap of paper, but no pick.

 _He must have left it at the beach,_ he thought. Maybe he'd dropped it in the sand... His mind drifted back to that morning, but he still felt unsure. Whatever it was in that pool too deep even for him filled his stomach with a strange sickness. 

The idea of bothering the two downstairs seemed stupid, but Wil already knew he wouldn't be sleeping well without some sort of closure. Putting his guitar on his back, he looked out of his window. A hill rose up behind the house, taking a few feet from the hypothetical fall. Wil unlatched and pulled open the window, beginning to slowly grapple his way onto the wall of the house. His fingers clutched the edge of the window sill as he closed his eyes and pumped back, only twisting his leg a small amount when he collided with the grass.

He made his way to the beach. The trees were once again foreign to him in the dark. The sound of the guitar knocking against his back felt like a dead giveaway, but he wasn't sure what to. If Tommy or Tubbo saw him he could just explain that he was out for an evening walk, playing some songs. Anything sounded less bizarre than the truth of his journey.

The sand felt strange around his boots, and as the wind swept over some part of him wished he'd brought his coat. He approached the water, dark as the night surrounding it. He levered himself onto the top of the rock and peered down into the cold black expanse. He pulled a match from his pocket and struck it against the stone. Sparks flew out and died in the water as Wil watched its surface in the fire's glow.

"Hello?" He whispered. "Is anyone there?" Each second felt like hours as his breath danced across the sea's surface. His body was sore, the smoke wore at his eyes. 

A small scattering of bubbles appeared and Wilbur felt his heart catch in his throat as his guitar pick rose to the surface, just barely lifted from the water, far out into the depths. The match flickered out without a sound.

Before his mind could figure what to do his body acted for him. He leaned out over the water's edge bodily, holding the edge barely as he reached in for his pick. His fingers brushed the cold surface and panic washed over him as he felt something beneath them. There was something in the water. _Someone._

He pulled back, looking to see what it might have been, but nothing arose. Carefully, he pressed his hand flat against the water. He felt the cold press of another palm against his, each finger slowly lining up to match—almost human. Shock and confusion blurred into fascination as he sat, hand in hand with whatever was underneath. It took all the strength in his body not to jump as the pale fingers laced between his own.

It was a strange moment of peace, as neither moved in the dark. Wilbur felt his panicked breathing slow, his body only shaking slightly as it strained over the edge of his seat. He could feel himself starting to blush at the contact.

The hand tugged him down, but Wil stopped himself.

"Do you want me to come in?" He asked quietly to the eerie silence. The hand squeezed his own, pulling again. "I need to take this off, hold on."

He tried to ply his hand out of the figure's, but they held onto him tightly.

"I'm not going anywhere," He promised, taking his other and placing it over the entangled two. After a tense moment, the grip slowly loosened.

Wilbur rested his guitar on the stone and began pulling off his boots and socks. Everything he was doing was stupid. He could only imagine the shock on his face as he tossed his clothes to the side, hearing them hit the sand with a puff and let his feet dangle in the water, stripped down to his trousers in the dead of night, no moonlight piercing the clouds as he prepared to enter those unfamiliar depths.

Next to him, he heard the plucking of guitar strings.

He gasped, reaching out in the darkness. His hands fell on his guitar, each string hummed through the wood, they felt wet.

"May I have my pick?" He asked.

A wet hand fell over his and pressed the wooden pick into his palm as he sat the guitar on his lap. He let a shaky smile come over him.

"Any requests?" He asked—surely a deeply incorrect response to finding a creature like this.

"Something... major," It whispered in a light, lilting voice. Wilbur suppressed a giggle at a sudden return of his conversation. There was something strange about the phrase. "C maybe." 

Like a switch in his head, the words' implication suddenly caught up to him. He plucked out and played a chord. He could feel someone kicking around in the water below him, just by his feet.

He blushed as he felt them rest their chin on the tops of his knees, arms wrapping around his legs just below that. Wil felt the creature's hum run through his body as they held him close.

"Did you follow me here?" He asked, more and more uncertain of his words.

The figure pulled him gently into the pool. Wil dropped his guitar at his side and lowered himself in. He gasped quietly as he sank into the cool water. He hoped to find the bottom, but the water was deeper than he imagined as he swam blindly forward.

"Hello?"

Something smooth brushed against his torso before slipping away. Then again: careful brushes swimming past him. The feeling tickled, and his blushing would have spread further if his head wasn't already swimming.

Above him, the clouds parted. Moonlight finally stretched down to the inlet and shone through the water in bright panels. A pink-red salmon swam around Wilbur in giddy circles, before disappearing into the dark. He felt like his head was on fire as he watched something new emerge, lengths of hair pluming in the water. A person, their face rose from the water, green eyes meeting his.

_"Wilbur?"_

_"Sally?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I edited this chapter for clarity and grammar, hope you enjoy it!


	3. Upon The Shore

"Sally?" Wilbur all but whispered as he looked over his old friend. _Old friend?_ Even the concept was odd: that this woman in front of him had spent so many hours with him and he hadn't even known. Her eyes speckled green and grey, her hair like a pink and red sunset. "You're..."

"—A shapeshifter?"

_"—A salmon!"_

Sally giggled, the sound was contagious. Wil felt a laugh of his own bubbling in his chest.

"I just... what?" Wil stumbled over his own words.

"I'm a shapeshifter," She replied again, patiently. 

Again, despite the madness in front of him, Sally's gaze calmed him. Wil felt his breathing evening, his swimming smoothen. It was then that he noticed how close he and Sally were to each other, and how few articles of clothing were between them.

"Are you cold?" He asked.

"Not yet. Salmon are very warm."

"Are they?"

"Yes! We have lots of fat!" Both giggled again. Sally rested her hands on Wilbur's shoulders, his whole body tensing at the touch. He shuddered at the feeling of her skin on his and pulled back.

"Wait here, I'm gonna go grab my clothes."

Wilbur pulled himself up out of the water and onto the shore. Sand clung to his trousers and stung his skin. He could feel the woman watching him as he buttoned up his shirt in the dark, pulling the fabric where it stuck to his skin as he worked. He could hear the lapping water as he forced his wet feet into his boots, tucking his socks in his pocket. He stamped the ground to secure them.

"Where are you going?" Sally asked him. He could see her head peeking out over the sand.

"Nowhere," He said. "Nowhere yet, at least. I mean, I do have to go back to the house eventually."

"Can I come with you?" The question was asked with such earnestness it made Wilbur's stomach flutter.

"Come with me?" He repeated. Sally nodded enthusiastically. "I don't know if Tommy would be very happy about letting another person stay with us."

"Please?" She begged. "I'll be super quiet—he won't even know I'm there!"

She looked so happy just at the thought of going with him. _She traveled all the way here just to see you..._ Wilbur looked around before leaning in close to her. 

"Do you promise? Not a sound?"

A smile spread across her face, warm and bubbly and all too excited as she shakily rose from the water.

"Thank you, thank you!" Wilbur steadied her by the elbows. "Sorry, I haven't been human in a really long time." She explained.

The night wind blew past and Wilbur felt Sally shiver against him, suddenly aware of just how exposed she was.

"It's cold, huh?" He murmured, watching a sheepish grin emerge on her face. "Just a sec—"

Wilbur began unbuttoning his shirt once again, peeling it off and beating out the sand. Sally wrapped it around herself gratefully.

"It's warm," She said, rubbing her arms. Wilbur hoped she couldn't see him blush in the dark.

* * *

"Follow me."

The leaves and pine needles from the trees crunched underfoot. Wil listened to the heavy pattern of his boots on the ground. Sally's pale feet skittered and dragged as she delicately followed suit. Soon, the windows of Tommy's house glowed overhead, and Wilbur felt his stomach twist. The idea of explaining any of this to Tommy drove him mad. He was already busy with two houseguests, another on the way. He didn't need another stressor.

Wilbur took Sally's hand in his, guiding her away from the path and around to the back of the house. He brushed off the thought of how tightly she held on.

Tubbo must have helped Tommy build the house, seeing how the walls weren't simply flat. At a glance, he'd already found a way to clamber up the divets and window boxes. He reached and pulled himself up a foot into the air before recalling his guest. He turned to Sally, forming a plan on how to help her up.

But Sally wasn't there. Instead, an orange fox sat on the ground with a white shirt between its teeth.

"Sally?" He asked, to no reply but the creature scampering up the side of the house and into his open window.

He kept climbing, pulling himself over the windowsill and finding Sally there, sitting down in his white shirt.

"Holy shit, you really are a shapeshifter!" He giggled as Sally shushed him.

"Tommy will hear!" She warned.

"We can talk a little bit, Tommy probably won't hear us all the way upstairs."

"Are you sure?"

Wilbur nodded and looked across the room to Sally as he sat down on his bed, unable to say a thing. Sally seemed to be struggling too. They sat and stared.

"Hello,"

"Hello!"

Both smiled, letting out a small laugh. 

"Tommy," Sally began. "He's your brother, right?"

"Yeah, little brother."

"And then there's Techno and Phil, right?"

"How do you know about them?" Wilbur asked.

"You told me all about them!"

 _Of course._ Every time he sat by the river and played, every time he spilled his feelings into the water—that was Sally he was talking to.

"Oh yeah," He managed.

Sally shivered again as the wind blew through the window. He quickly shut it and went to his things, rummaging around until he found his coat—long, lined, and warm. Sally walked over to see and Wilbur draped the coat over her. She flapped her arms and watched the oversized sleeves flail.

"Is that better?" He asked her. She nodded and sat down beside him on the bed.

"It's so soft!"

"The coat?"

"Yes, and the bed too!" She hopped up and down slightly. "You sleep on these, right?"

"Have you... never slept on a bed before?"

"No, salmon don't really sleep. We just slow down, if that makes sense?"

"Doesn't that get tiring?"

"A little, yeah..." Sally sighed.

"Are you?" Wil asked, quieter than before.

"Am I what?"

"Tired."

Sally winced at the question as if the reminder alone hurt.

"Only a little..."

"You should go to sleep then," Wilbur said, moving off of the bed.

"Wait, I still want to talk to you!" Sally protested.

"We can talk tomorrow," He promised. "Nobody wants to talk to you more than me, I promise."

Any fight left in either of them was long gone as Sally settled into bed where Wilbur pulled back the blankets for her. She wriggled under the covers, getting comfortable as Wil tucked her in.

"You're not going anywhere are you, Wilbur?"

"Of course not," He reassured. "Are you comfy?"

"Mhm."

Wilbur looked around, finally settling on using his backpack as a pillow, lying down below the bed. The wooden floor was slightly uneven, and he could feel the saltwater stiffening in his trousers. Soaked and lying topless on the floor—this wasn't how he expected to spend his time here at Tommy's. He still couldn't find it in his heart to be too annoyed.

Despite himself, he felt a shiver wash over him.

"Wilbur?" Sally whispered.

"Hmm?"

A hand fell down the side of the bed, hanging by his side. Wilbur held it loosely, still half asleep.

"You're very clingy," He mumbled.

"You're very cold," She replied. 

The warmth of her hand slipped away and Wil looked up to see Sally pull the covers back, patting the space beside her.

"No."

"Wil—"

_"No."_

_"Wilbur? Please?"_

Wilbur's eyelids wore against his eyes, barely opening with each blink. Everything was sore, the thought of finally getting some rest drove him mad. Thoughtlessly, he flung himself into the bed. He hissed in regret, his body aching in retaliation.

"The sheets are all damp," He complained, not daring to look at Sally. He stared up at the ceiling.

" _You're_ all damp," She whispered, her smile tangible in the way she spoke.

"Just go to sleep."

Wil felt her shifting beside him, but didn't move. He just closed his eyes and focused on his breath, slowly calming until barely there, drifting into the soft embrace of sleep.


	4. Rocky Shores

_"Oh, Wilby!"_

Wilbur let out an embarrassing whine as he woke up, curling an arm around the still-warm sheets. Opening bleary eyes, he looked out across his room. His bags were still thrown open, the curtains flung open, his guitar lay on the floor in a heap. The quiet sheen of early morning ripped away from him with the sound of banging at the door.

"Wilbur!" 

Beside him, the sheets pulled back around a woman's face. Her long red hair illuminated the space around her as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. Panic washed over him as he recalled his adventure with Sally last night.

"Just a minute!" He shouted back. Wil rubbed Sally's shoulder, slowly pulling her back into the present. Finally, her eyes grew wide, realizing their mistake. The two stumbled over themselves hastily getting out of bed and looked around for a hideaway.

"There!" Sally whispered, pointing to the closet. Will, wasting no time, swept up Sally and carried her quickly over.

"Open up Wilbur!" Tommy shouted through the door.

"I said wait!" 

"No, you said 'just a minute' and that means now!" 

Wilbur tried to shut the closet door, only for it to drift back open. 

"Hold the handle," He whispered to Sally, nodding along.

Tommy nearly hit him as Wilbur swung the door open. He'd grown since the last time he'd been able to pull this stunt, it made Wil's chest twist.

"Do you need something?" He tried to fill as much of the doorway as possible.

"Hey Big Man," Tommy said, smiling wide with brace-covered teeth. They reminded him of the gear Techno would wear to sleep when they were younger.

"Hey?"

"Hey," Both sat in silence for a moment before the younger let a giggle escape. Tommy's grin grew even more as he watched Wilbur realize that there was nothing to this conversation but the act of annoying him.

"Get out of my room," His older brother sighed.

Tommy rushed past him and into the room, picking up Wilbur's guitar. "Can I play?" He asked.

"Tommy, leave."

"Just a minute—"

"Now."

Tommy couldn't get in another word before Wilbur stooped to pick him up. It was harder than he remembered, Tommy had grown up quite a bit. Still, the challenge didn't stop him from dragging the little gremlin out onto the landing and slamming his door for emphasis. 

"Breakfast's ready by the way!" Tommy finally shouts.

"Sounds good!"

He waited, listening for the sound of the boy's footsteps thumping down the stairs before retrieving Sally.

"Coast is clear," He murmured as the closet slowly opened.

"What do we do?"

Wilbur headed to his bags and began pulling out clothes. "Pick out something, Tommy'll recognize my coat if he sees it. Plus, you're not wearing trousers." Sally looked down as if to affirm his claims.

"Well you're not wearing a shirt," She countered.

"I will if you're gonna whine about it."

"No, it's fine if you don't want to." 

Wilbur snorted. "I probably do need to if I'm honest. I appreciate the flattery though."

"So am I just—" Sally began to pull up her top and Wilbur quickly turned away. "Sorry! Should I just do this here, or?"

"No, no! Go ahead, I won't look!"

Will could hear the sounds of ruffling fabric behind him as he quietly prayed she couldn't see the red flush rising in his pale skin. New clothes sounded nice, his own half-dry trousers chafed against his legs as he sat and waited.

He jumped as a warm hand tap his bare shoulder. He turned. Perhaps it was less obvious with the coat, but Sally did not fit in Wilbur's clothes. Long sleeves billowed past her hands and long trousers were rolled up to keep them from passing her feet. He smiled as he noticed her wearing one of his nicest shirts—not that he'd ever tell her, he barely wore it anyway.

"What do you think?"

"You look incredible!" It was Sally's turn to blush, the color suited her.

"Now what?" She asked.

Wilbur moved to the window and opened it up, gesturing for her to follow.

"Go to the beach, I'll meet up with you as soon as possible, okay?"

"Do you promise?"

Wilbur looked up to Sally by the windowsill, her brow furrowed and marbled green eyes staring him down.

"I promise."

Without another word, Sally leaned over and wrapped her arms around him. He stiffened for a moment, before allowing himself to lean into the warmth. She smelled like the sea. Just as soon as she let go, she was gone.

* * *

Wilbur made his way downstairs, finally changed into something comfortable. The smell of warm food fills the air, he could get used to that. Tommy sat at a small table in the kitchen, pushing food around his plate. He grabbed a plate from the counter and grabbed some food. He smiled at the amount of bacon he saw piled on Tommy's plate—a delicacy rarely seen when they were younger.

The clatter of the plate coming down beside him woke Tommy from his daze.

"Hungry much?"

"Starvin'"

"Then maybe try eating instead of playing with it."

Tommy grumbled but started eating. Wilbur joined him.

"How long do you think it'll be before Phil arrives?" The boy asked.

"Dunno. Didn't seem like he was in much of a hurry."

"Well tough, he should be."

"Maybe he'd come here quicker if you wrote to him?"

"By the time he gets the letter I'm always doing something else! I'm busy being with the times! I'm all topical!"

"What, you mean you're all trendy?"

"I make the trends, Wilbur. I'm like Beyoncé and shit!"

Wilbur laughed, nearly spilling his glass of water as he tried to recompose himself. Tommy laughed with him. As quiet settled, their smiles gentled—the familiar comfort of one another overtaking them. 

Tommy threw a piece of bacon at him.

Okay. War it is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the lovely comments! Hopefully, I'll be updating this story more often!


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